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A few times a year, I go on a Dinner Intervention, which might sound a little more gentle than it is. It sounds like a “Honey, I was thinking I’ll do something different with dinner this week” but in reality it is more of a “Gah, I am so sick of take-out and fobbed together meals! I’ve had enough!” wherein I throw down the proverbial spatula and demand we do better.

Dinner is not my strong suit; I love side dishes and “tapas-style” meals (a joke consisting of bits and pieces of leftovers from the fridge meals.) I’ve got pancakes, slaws and potatoes down pat, but when it comes down to what I consider the Holy Grail of home cooking — Getting Dinner On The Table with any regularity — I fall woefully short. Seeing as we can get great salads, hummus platters and cracker-thin pizzas delivered in no time, why would I want to bother cranking up the broiler?

Fortunately, I do, that is, want to bother, due to a confluence of events. First, the markets are finally brimming with local spring produce that I’m hauling home by the armload. Nothing I can order for dinner tastes or looks half as good. And second, we’re on the verge of reaching the age where we’ve got a little person at the table with us, a little person who I will not be feeding bits of takeout Pad Thai for dinner. So it’s time to get our dinner act together, once and for all.

I’m starting with my favorite trick for those at a dinner impasse: throw an egg on it. For now, it’s the answer to almost all of my dinner woes. “I made a batch of creamed chard and spring onions, now what?” Or earlier this week: “I’ve got a beautiful bundle of ramps languishing in the fridge, how can I make this dinner?”* In almost every case, some toasted hearty bread plus a fried egg made these things a meal. Spicy tomato stew becomes shakshuka; warm mushroom salad becomes an entree, ginger fried rice becomes a meal you still dream about, months later, and punchy, bright potatoes are given excuse to shine as a main course.

And last night, with an attempt at a lighter approach to hash — yes, like hash browns or corned beef hash, but with crunchy New Jersey asparagus — we didn’t even need the hunk of bread to yield a satisfying late dinner. I’ve been thinking about ways to reinvent hash since I tried a tasty but heavy riff on it with shredded short ribs this past winter. With spring here (or summer, really, with the hellacious upper-80s scattered storms humidity we’ve had this week) few things are more welcome than a single-pan meal that allows me to whittle away at my farmers market haul without cranking up the oven.

* Thinly slice cleaned ramps, keeping the bulbs and greens separate. Sauté the bulbs in butter and/or oil until softly caramelized, about 5 to 10 minutes, then add the greens and cook for 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Spread it on a piece of toast. If you’ve got Canadian bacon around, crisp up a thin slice and put that on the toast first, before the ramps. If you’ve got grated gruyère or goat cheese, use that too. Fry an egg and le voila! The most delicious open-faced breakfast dinner sandwich, yet. Do try this!

I know I say this a lot, but this is indeed a flexible recipe. The core idea is a one-pan hash that is lighter than the expected versions and full of texture; whether you get to this place with yellow potatoes or Russets, slab bacon or pancetta, asparagus or something else that struck your fancy at the market that week doesn’t much matter. You don’t even need to put an egg on it, if you’re more in a broiled salmon or grilled cutlets kind of place tonight. But it’s not half bad just the way it is, and I suspect this is going to become a weekend morning staple. And yes, that’s my husband you hear cheering in the background; he gets that way around cured pork products.

Makes enough to top with four fried eggs

1/4 pound pancetta (a cured pork that is less salty than proscuitto, and not smoked like bacon), cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/2-inch dice
1 small yellow onion, chopped small
1/2 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch segments
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat a 12-inch cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Fry the pancetta, turning it frequently so that it browns and crisps on all sides; this takes about 10 minutes. Remove it with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Leave the heat on and the renderings in the pan. (With a well-seasoned cast iron, this should be all the fat you need to cook the remainder of the hash. If you’re not using a cast iron, you might need to add a tablespoon or so of oil; if you’ve skipped the pork, you’ll want to start with 2 tablespoons oil.)

Add the potatoes don’t move them for a couple minutes. Use this time to season them well with salt and pepper. Once they’ve gotten a little brown underneath, begin flipping and turning them, then letting them cook again for a few minutes. The idea is not to fight them off the frying pan, once they’ve gotten a little color, it’s easier to flip them and you’ve gotten closer to your goal of getting them evenly browned.

When the potatoes are about three-fourths as crisped and brown as you’d like them — this takes about 15 minutes — add the onion. (I add this now, not earlier, because I find it often burns before the potatoes are done.) Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add the asparagus, cover the pan and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until crisply cooked. (Skinny asparagus will take just 5 minutes; thicker asparagus will take longer.) Remove the lid, return the pancetta to the pan for another minute, to reheat. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Serve immediately.

Rachel — I learned last week that the first asparagus they pull is usually the thickest, having grown the longest. The ensuing hauls (um, can you tell I’m not a farmer and don’t know the lingo?) tends to be the skinnier stuff. So maybe yours is coming!

Wow! I’ve never made hash, but I think you have just made me a convert. Your pictures are making me drool! Great tip on the asparagus too, I always wondered why the first bundles I see for the year were huge stalks (which I don’t care for).

m — Thanks. But that’s exactly it — I have so many dinner PARTS. I’m bad at painting a whole picture. I don’t love chicken cutlets, I don’t desire to eat meat most nights of the week (i.e. sausages as a quick fix) and I’m not a big soup person so I have trouble gathering these odd ends into anything more than scattered bits of a meal. But I’m trying. It’s really important to me that we’re eating family dinners in a few months so I’m going to make it happen.

Frying the eggs — You can do it in the same pan, wipe it out when you remove the hash and add a little oil. However, I admit that I hang onto a small nonstick for one purpose only: fried eggs. I’m just better at them, and they get less brown/crunchy underneath (which I hate). So for me, a fried egg on top is a two-pan affair. But if you want to be strict about it, it doesn’t need to be.

Vegetarian version — Omit the pancetta. (I include instructions in the recipe.) Add another vegetable… have fun with it.

My weird idea — When I started thinking about an asparagus hash, I was very fixated on adding toasted, chopped hazelnuts to it. I really wanted the crunch, the contrast. Too weird? I’m not sure. I ended up talking myself out of it. Then talking myself back into it by sprinkling some on at the end. My final conclusion was that the hazelnuts were not necessary to make it a good dish, but if you want to try something different, go for it.

This sounds delicious. I would leave out the pancetta – I’m a veggie – but still! Now I know you are not big on fussy ingredients, but I have some truffle oil that would be a perfect addition – especially when you leave out the pancetta! Thanks for another great one!

Man, I’m right there with you on the “dinner intervention”. We do this regularly with the changing of the seasons.

In the fridge I’ve got some lonely left over potatoes, some almost past due fresh spinach, bacon, scallions & yellow onions, and some garbanzo beans that need to get cooked or get chucked. Oh, and I ALWAYS have eggs.

Deb, this looks AMAZING. I can’t wait to try it. As for throwing eggs at everything, I do have to say that the shakshuka was super tasty and a great dinner!

The photos of the asparagus are beautiful! It makes me want to jump up from my desk and run to the farmers market right now! I’m hoping to find some asparagus that are good enough to eat raw, something my friend/chef Billy Cotter showed me is great about the best stalks! I’d be interested to see what you’d do with raw asparagus…

I’ve been chopping asparagus into everything lately. The prices have been so good I practically keep it on hand like I do carrots, celery and onions! I haven’t done this application, though. Sounds good in a hash! I think it’d be good as a farmers type casserole or frittata for those of us that like eggs firmer (uh, me). It would be a shame to lose the crispy potato texture, though.

The hardest part of becoming a family (for me) was contemplating dinner. I struggled with it, but thank goodness my husband has definate ideas and likes to cook. I took my turns, but also kept us plied with whimsy and dessert…so I was like the Good Witch!

My family would devour this morning, noon and night–I’ve got one (the big one) who eats asparagus every chance he gets, and the youngster, (Herr Feinschmecker) who loves pancetta cuz it’s even more intense than bacon…and when you mix it together you get me! (I eat everything)

Deanna B (comment #18)– if you can’t handle all that pancetta, give me a shout!

i laughed at your “intervention” comment. I had my own intervention recently and decided to eat pescaterian for May. since we’re big meat eaters, it’s gonna be interesting, and if i’m lucky i’ll still be married at the end of it!

Beautiful! I love asparagus! I love bacon and bacon-like product! I have made brussel sprouts with bacon and vinegar but why have I never thought of this? Because I’m not you. I cannot wait for your cookbook to come out. Congrats!

I’d say that baby will eat anything he can reach. Encourage that–don’t start down the road of a separate meal: fish sticks, boxed mac&cheese, hotdogs, etc.

Much of the asparagus is the pencil thin variety these days. Love the thick ones because I grill them. I seldom see them and have to buy the ultra skinny ones. I expect to start a small asparagus bed this Fall. It will be the thick variety. BTW, I have several small green tomatoes in my garden.

One time I brought home really bad asparagus. Rotten from the inside. And that smell has bee lingering in my nose still. But looks like your asparagus photos are just pulling me closer to them. So summery!

What? Jacob? You grew up too fast, young sproutlin’ :D. And in Florida, it’s 95 and our humidity levels are giving the weather channel’s water saturation charts a run for their money, so no complaining, mmkay? :) At least you can have something besides Papa Johns delivered pronto without paying airline tickets! Ah…NYC. :) LOL

I’m a big fan of the side-dish-turned-main-dish-with-the-addition-of-a-fried-egg dinner! It’s healthier than a huge dinner, especially if you snack all day like I do…
Thanks for sharing your hash technique! :)

How is it that you can make ASPARAGUS — which I freely admit to loathing — look so darn beautiful that I want to eat it? Your photography gifts are formidable. That’s why I visit your site every day: to get my food porn fix!

First time posting, just want to say that Jacob could not be cuter, he’s as scrumtious as the food. As far as the hash, sounds fantastic, gonna try it this weekend. I laughed at the “throw an egg on it” philosophy. In my home growing up, my latin american mother used the “make a tortilla (fritatta for the gringos) out of it” philosophy. Any kind of leftover made a great spanish style tortilla served with a side salad. I never thought to put the egg on top…so there’s something new to try. Cheers to a fabulous site and I can’t wait for the book.

I’m so into hash. Sundance Resort makes one out of smoked trout for breakfast that is heaven on earth! I like mine with a little corned beef and lots of carmelized onions, but this little gem is calling to me.

Ok, first things first: Thank you for the ramps recipe. I couldn’t resist them at our local market and then fretted over how to use them so they’d actually be featured and not just in with a mess of stuff.
Second–not to be a total kitchen novice, but I am–does this hash reheat? I need to bring a “side” to Mother’s Day and this looks great but it needs to be something my husband can just pop in the oven while I’m doing the breast cancer walk. (If we aren’t doing it together this time, at least he can keep brunch on schedule!)
Thanks!

I am definitely making this. It looks delicious.
In my book, a big salad with some kind of protein _ beans, a piece of fish, a poached egg _ counts as dinner. So does hash made from whatever I have that needs to be used up.
I believe the hype about family dinner. It may be a while before Jacob eats all the things that you eat. But time flies! It seems like five minutes ago that my 12-year-old was Jacob’s age and eating baby food, and now she’s as big a salad girl as I am. (We had one of your slaws from the NPR site last night.)

I think it’s fantastic that you’re committed to family meals–it’s one of my favorite parts of my childhood, and I’m so grateful that my parents always made that effort. I understand your dilemma, though. I’m sure you know this, but simple and easy is ok (I often forget this)–salad and grilled chicken or pasta with roasted/sauteed vegetables still gets the job done! Kids have a simpler palate, too–rice pilaf from a box was one of my favorite childhood foods. Sorry if this is too advice-y, just wanted to tell you that Jacob will love whatever you cook, as long as you and Alex are eating with him!

There is nothing wrong with this hash as dinner! Don’t put yourself down. Dinner does not need to be a three course meal. Just good healthy food eaten with the family. That’s why so many stress over dinner. Make it simple!

I agree that dinner does not have to be a three course deal, if you have one awesome dish that gets all the attention that’s perfect, what more could you want…well, maybe a little dessert! These are the kinds of meals I always cooked and my boys all love simple, fresh seasonal food (and thank me now for always cooking simple & healthy) I can see Jacob munching on an asparagus spear! Oh, and if dinner is fun……they will be there.

Deb, I know you get lots of positive feedback, but a little more couldn’t hurt. When I was home with my newborn I used to watch the cooking network on TV and get inspired to make something fun for dinner that night. Since being back at work, I have no time to watch FoodTV and lost a lot of my inspiration for trying new recipes. Discovering your blog has changed that. You inspire me to cook and bake again. Thank you. Really, really, thank you.

Deb, I am madly in love with the bundle of asparagus pictures (the 2nd and 3rd) ones. Very clever layout and gorgeous shots.

I love hash recipes too so I’ll have to tuck this one in my pocket. And, I think you’re on to something with the hazelnuts. When I make potatoes and greens hash, I always add almonds to the top of the eggs. I just feel like there should be nuts in recipes like these.

This is great! I’m a junior in college and it’s my finals week, so something homemade and easy is a perfect fit for this stressful time. And, I was able to get everything at Target (except the potatoes: I had to sub baby reds) so that was another added plus. Love this!

I have been obsessed with eggs lately! I crave them night and day (one would think I was preggo – – hoping, but probably not). This is another perfect way to feed said craving without boring my hubby. Thanks, Deb!

This is why I love your blog – I’ve figured it out! I am not a fan of Dinner, capital D, especially when it features a hunk of meat. But I love eggs, chick peas, greens, and tapas-style eating (along with, bien sur, dessert!) – and THIS is what you are making over there in NY.

However.

I have 4 kids (7, 4, 2, 3 mo) who always SEEM like they’re not going to be picky eaters at first… and then, just as I’m breaking my arm patting myself on the back about how Lucy just loves her goat cheese, they hit 3 1/2 or so, and it’s all over for the green foods, touching foods, etc.

So. I am really excited that you have a wee one now because I want to see what sort of food you are going to be cooking as he gets bigger and the sit-down-to-dinner-together thing happens, and it gets more complicated. I won’t cook separate meals for the kids, but it does take some of the fun out of it if I spend any amount of time cooking (say spring asparagus pancetta hash) and the kids just pick at it and complain.

Anyway – no pressure or anything. I just realized with this latest post that you are a kindred snacky-sort-of-soul, and I have yet to figure out how to make my way of eating work with picky children.

But you are a long way from this. And maybe will never have a picky eater. And I realize that this is a food blog, and not a mommy blog. But I am a mommy, and a foodie, and I am so happy that you are blogging – please keep it up! and keep us all posted on Jacob’s palate development!

It always seems as though you’re just reading my thoughts. I’ve been beating myself up over not having “real” dinners as long as my daughter was weaned, and she’s now 17! So I wish you the best on that, and I also wish for you to be as flexible in your ideas about what constitutes the right way to eat. I think Jacob is going to be fed very well (and what’s wrong with Pad Thai???). :-)

So in essence, I agree completely with Gail!

Re: the recipe, we have asparagus coming up now in our yard and eggs coming out of our chickens, so this comes at the exact right moment (and what doesn’t go with pancetta/bacon/smoked pork products?).

Amazing coincidence! I can home with a bundle of asparagus from the farm down the road. Iscrambled a couple of eggs and topped them with grated parmesan and the steamed tips. I’m the only one in the house who likes them, so I can be totally hedonistic and eat only the best bits!

The chopping involved in this dish does NOT look fun! But I love the colors of the dish, and I love how it *seems* to easily come together. Or maybe you just make everything look easy! I like the idea of “put an egg on top” though!

Deb – oh yum. And here I’ve been wondering what to do for dinner tomorrow with potato and asparagus and eggs. But *sigh* we just finished the pancetta. Bacon will have to do or maybe I can find a chorzio sausage lurking in my fridge. Thanks!

Last night I made an asparagus frittata for dinner: sauteed garlic, blanched sliced asparagus and eggs mixed with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Paired with sliced, fried tomatoes (my weakness) and good sourdough bread, it was a light and delicious dinner.

Hi Deb, don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this to you yet but there may be some loading issues with your site. I’ve been reading it for quite awhile and in the last couple of weeks the recipe bit starts to load then doesn’t, and all I get is a page of comments (the top bits being tiny slice of image-comment-tiny slice of image-comment etc), and the sidebar loads at the bottom. It’s impossible to read your posts unless I act really quickly and copy the text before it goes all funny :( I’ve tried it in different browsers as well, so, just thought you might want to know x

I don’t think any of us should feel bad about adding an egg to round out the meal – I have done exactly that twice this week – the first time with lentils and sauteed silverbeet and the second, on top of a plate of sauteed cauliflower, broccoli and almonds…….nothing could be simpler or nicer!

Oooh – anything I can make to add eggs to is wonderful. Our hens started laying in March and we are getting a half-dozen eggs a day. A DAY! They are the best tasting I’ve ever had but even the most dedicated egg eaters can’t keep up with the girls. I am looking for all the fresh green stuff at the farmers market Saturday morning so I can cook!

Hi,
As a vegetarian, this IS what a good homemade dinner looks like – not “traditional” meat, veg, starch combos. Single dish/one pot affairs are perfect dinners. Meat or not, have a piece of fruit for dessert and you’re all well-rounded, meal-wise. Don’t sweat it – I think it would be great if Jacob grew up thinking that hash, eggs on toast, random fridge bits sauteed with a few extras, etc. = dinner.

I just started reading your blog and I can totally relate. I live in New York and me and my husband cook out of our little kitchen. I think your photos are absolutely gorgeous. What type of camera do you use and what type of light do you shoot in? Natural?

Love this recipe Deb! Saturday and/or Sunday is “hash day” at my house. It’s my “end-of-the-week-what’s-leftover-in the-fridge-that-I-can-mix-with-potatoes-and-top-with-a-poached-egg?” meal. I always keep diced red and yellow bell peppers either fresh or frozen around specifically for hashes. During the week I dread getting out of bed to go to work, but on weekend mornings I leap out of bed for “hash day”. Hooray for Hash Day!

When I need dinner or ideas in general for great recipes, I turn to Smittenkitchen. Thanks so much for this one! Your posts and recipies are just great! I will substitute with another veg since we no longer eat bacon, pancetta or sausages in general. My internist “yelled” at me (cajoled, rather) to loose the last 15 -18 lbs. of pregnancy gain, plus had borderline, high-ish blood pressure, so off those food products I went-my favs. Oh how I miss the smokiness, crispiness and sweetness of fried pancetta! My internist is a strict vegetarian and states the alarm bells are not ringing loudly enough in this country about animal fats in our diets in general and he is telling me to discontinue feeding that kind of fat to my family, plus he educates about low caloric intake-he is a man on a mission. Since we barely ate that much to begin with, how can very small quantities hurt if they are just there for flavoring and texture generally? This debate is endless! Help!
Following your blog really helps with inspiration though. I am glad you post plenty of veg and grain-based, tasty recipes, please keep on posting more and more of those. It is so appreciated. Thank you.

Uh…yum. I just picked up some asparagus from the farm stand near my house. The egg just makes this. Although I do wish I could drop off some of my free-range, organic eggs for you. You would totally appreciate. Drool-worthy.

I was just sitting in my office trying to figure out a spring dish with fiddlehead ferns and asparagus and, by golly, I’m gonna throw some fiddleheads in with this hash recipe and let ya all know how it tastes! And I’ll be using slab bacon instead of pancetta — should probably add extra cracked pepper at the finish to get that pancetta-ey gusto going?

Love this idea. It reminds me of my favorite dinner as a child. In the summer my Granny had a wonderful garden. She would take zucchini, yellow squash, acorn squash, okra, onions & potatoes freshly picked that day & dice them up. She would lightly breaded them with a few tablespoons of flour & corn meal. She would have her cast iron skillet all warmed with a touch of oil in it. She would start the potatoes first & then throw in the rest of it. Much the same way you made this. Can you say YUMMY? We would always ask for seconds. Thanks for this idea. And now I want my Granny’s Hash too!! =]

Wow! This looks fantastic! I’m also relieved to hear that you, too, are often stumped at dinner time. My husband can’t seem to understand why I struggle to get decent dinners on the table… “you’re a good cook, and you love doing it… what’s the deal?” Fact is, trying to come up with healthy, balanced meals that an extremely picky 4-year old will eat (luckily, the 2-year old is more adventurous), every night at 5:30, while keeping said 2- and 4- year olds from destroying each other and the house, is just not that easy! It’s so much different than the days of, “let’s have some friends over tonight” and spending all Saturday browsing through recipes, shopping at a variety of markets / stores, and having a couple of hours to prep! Thanks again for the delicious-looking recipe — I can’t wait to try it!

A friend of mine works at a restaurant out in Berkeley called Rick & Ann’s, they’re known for their amazing breakfasts. When I was out there visiting last summer, I had their red velvet hash, which consists of potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, bacon, onion, etc. It’s amazing, if you’re into these ingredients you should really try a variation of the recipe.

This mom of a 10-month-old, who is also gearing up to start cooking family meals every night (and/or encourage her culinarily-creative husband to step up to the plate a bit more often), is trying this recipe tonight (with, perhaps, some variations — including poached rather than fried eggs). Yum!

Oh wow, this was so perfect for my must-use-up spinach and asparagus. Thank you! For once, I was cooking for one so this was great. I have no idea how my husband slept through the smells emanating through my kitchen…those two AM nights (he’s an accountant) must really take it out of him. :) Keep it up! In the last week I’ve tried three recipes from your site and have many more bookmarked!

This is definitely going to be my supper tonight. I love hash and adding asparagus just makes it even more appealing. Also Jacob is so cute! My friend always catches me squealing at his pictures and says, “Just have a baby.” haha..

JR — Do you get spring onions at all? If not, green onions would work as would just using a little bit of regular onion (cooked longer) and some spinach for the “greens” part. I know ramps are rare (and they have a very short growing season) so I almost never feature them here. It seems unfair! But I had to squeeze that in for people who couldn’t resist them at the market.

Absolutely Gorgeous! I just picked up a bundle of fresh asparagus at the green grocers, without a clue what to make with it. Now I know! This will be completely lovely! Definitely going to throw some fresh basil into it though, I’m a sucker for basil and I think it will go delightfully! <3

This looks wonderful! It’s interesting you noted eggs make the perfect compliment for spring veggies, I have been doing a lot of omelets and frittata dishes for dinner. Asparagus and eggs can’t be beat!

we made this for dinner this evening (before I checked here!) all my hubby could say was “will there be more of this for the weekend?” and the 3 year old ate it with gusto and the 8 mth old wore the asparagus like a mustache (then ate it all!)
the hard part of dinner, for me, is not the getting it on the table but getting something different on the table each week…

I made this tonight to go alongside our broiled salmon. Nice! I don’t know that I’d call this ‘light’ (are potatoes ever really?) – but there was just enough pancetta to give the flavor without the guilt. I ate more than my share of the asparagus… Another fine inspiration to my daily cooking. (btw, I thoroughly enjoyed the mini-pop tarts!!! Nutella and cinnamon sugar – next time, JAM!)

Okay, now I went back and read it all :)
I still can’t get over that toast!

For those who can’t find ramps (which are the most amazing things ever–whole foods has had them lately, though I try to get them at the local produce store), I’d say try for baby leeks, or maybe shallots, rather than scallions.

Okay, gonna go for the hash, but without the pancetta. I will acknowledge I’ll throw the onions in a little earlier than you–my grandma taught me that their done when the first few turn black, then the rest are perfect! Thanks for the tips on the potatoes; I have such a hard time cooking them in the pan, but I think I push it.

I made this tonight. My seven-year-old said, “I’m going to die of the deliciousness,” and my fiancee and I happily cleaned our plates. It was perfect as written. We topped it with a fried egg and goat cheese. And I noticed someone was loathe to do the chopping – it was super easy. The ingredients are added with enough time in between to just do it one at a time. Thanks, Deb!

Glad you are enjoying the hash! I had another idea, when it is all done, it could easily be made into a fritatta with a few beaten eggs over it. Finished in the oven if it’s not setting well on the stove.

It’s rare that I see a recipe and feel like I have to make it right away, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about this (maybe because I am often “fobbling together” dinner and love one pan meals that can potentially absorb many fobbles) and had to make it tonight. I have a farmer’s market down the street and was able to get asparagus, new potatoes and onions. I cannot find pancetta except in ultra thin slices in my standard store, so I used thick center cut bacon and added a bit of hot pepper and some green onions I already had. I ended up eating it with plain yogurt to cut the spice I added and really enjoyed it that way. This really is so good. Next time I am going to try and search out pancetta at other stores, as I can imagine that that would be even better! Thank you.

Oh Deb, I totally hear you. I will spend an entire Saturday baking triple layer cakes et al, plus a batch of dip for crackers and Lebovitz sorbet; only to be too spent to cook dinner – which is such an essential and integral part of a good family/home routine. Ha! I have done this many times and moaned to my future husband ‘I’ve been in the kitchen ALL DAY how can I cook dinner?’ and sent him to hunt/gather takeout. I have recently made a pact with myself to cut back the ridiculous all day cookfests for something more balanced – a simple cake with a gorgeous and comforting dinner. And try to get it on the table before 9pm!

PS I am so FREAKING excited about your cookbook news, holy heck! I think whatever you produce will be amazing, as your tone, delivery and photos are sophisticated and approachable – gorgeous, but for every table. Also really admire that you don’t want to compromise your relationship with spunk guts Jacob while trying to get this book done – that is what I will aspire to when I get to experience mamahood and go back to work.

That’s funny that you don’t regularly cook dinners. My resident cook usually looks to Smitten Kitchen and a few other blogs for inspiration before cooking up a storm every night. I, meanwhile, totally sympathize with Alex when I’m on dishes duty afterward.

I have to agree…an egg is the answer! After a dinner for two visiting artists (barolo brasied tri tip over creamy polenta), the call the next morning was an easy over on top of the warmed polenta. I wanted to have a cigarette afterward, and I haven’t smoked in twenty years…heaven!

I could have written Gail’s comment myself – have been waiting for the time when you have to start doing family dinners – my 3 and 5 year old make my cooking life such hard work. I haven’t found any mummy blogs that really work for me (basically, the food doesn’t appeal to ME!) so am hoping you are going to be my dinner saviour …. if only Jacob was 3 then you would be in the same place I am.

Deb – do you know why my asparagus tastes gritty sometimes. I soak it in a bowl of water while I’m getting the rest of the meal and then let the tap run over each spear before cooking it but last night I had to throw it away as all the grit in each mouthful was freaking me out – and I couldn’t see any grit – just taste it. Am I meant to scrub my asparagus?

Thanks for this VERY timely recipe! I’m cooking a brunch for my mom and dad on Mother’s Day and she ADORES asparagus. :) This will be perfect to go with the mandated FLUFFY eggs and your poppy seed-lemon cake! I’m also making your yellow cake recipe into cupcakes, frosted with your swiss buttercream recipe (using all those egg whites from the lemon cake!). Apparently it’s a Smitten Kitchen weekend around here! Everything I’ve made from your site has been a great success and it’s now the first place I look for recipe ideas. Thanks for being so awesome!

I just finished my leftovers for lunch and wanted to say that it was even better today. I added a chopped up farmer’s market tomato and some crumbled feta. Last night (#146) I did not mention that I added a little fresh sage and rosemary because I wasn’t sure how I felt about that fobble, but today, all the flavors seem to have mellowed, and I really liked the herb accent next to the tomatoes and feta.

I’m going to give this a try on Sunday! Granted things go well in the kitchen, this is hitting brinner next week as well. I will take any opportunity to get more baby asparagus and runny fried eggs in my life. Thank you for writing!

Holy moly this was great! I made it the night before last and I was gushing over it the whole time. I doubled up the pancetta, added lots of garlic, and covered it with parmesan. I wish I had left-overs, but my boyfriend and I managed to eat the whole thing. Thank you SO much!

Not a vegan myself, but if you are or you’re cooking for one, a great way to round out this dish without the egg would be to serve the hash as a heap with a hollow in the middle filled with a dollop of plain yogourt.

I was just informed by those at my dinner table last night that this was the best thing they have eaten in months. Onths!? And I Cook A LOT. A LOT of really delicious, yummy things. All the time.
So MAKE THIS! You won’t be sorry.

I am with you on the dinner thing. I love to cook, but I despise getting dinner on the table every night. As a result, we eat out way too often. The key is planning and having ingredients in the house, and making regular trips to the grocery store. I made this hash for dinner last night. LOVED it! And so did my 13 year old daughter. She took the leftovers to school today for lunch. And what I loved even more was the easy clean- up. I will be reincarnating this dish into many different versions. My egg did not look as pretty as yours, though.

Uh, yum? Made this tonight with no pancetta (cooked the potatoes, etc. in olive oil with a bit of vegetable oil) and the addition of finely diced red bell pepper. Delicious. More than delicious. Very quick weeknight dinner prepared as my husband bathed and put our baby to bed, and it absolutely did not lack for the absence of meat (and I’m no vegetarian). *Thank you* for this recipe! It will become a staple, I’m sure. To easy weeknight family dinners!

A note to Laura … you had leftovers???!!?? Deb, your post “inspired” our dinner tonight (had no asparagus, sigh … but carrots). It was delish. Thanks for the tip about the onions. I added chopped garlic shortly before the end (because I rarely cook without it). Thanks for reminding me how terrific hash can be!

Deb, this looks absolutely delicious. It’s midnight in Chicago and your photo makes me want to jump up and fry an egg. I’ve never had an egg over hash, and your hash looks absolutely amazing. I have asparagus and ramps in my fridge right now. And of course, eggs. Why do I read your blog so late at night??? I can’t wait to make this on Sunday.

i served something similar at a mother’s day brunch last year – how timely – and my guests loved it. after getting over the initial shock of asparagus and eggs, they let the tastes and textures mingle in their mouths and enjoyed it. also, smitten, what food blogs do you read?

When I was younger and wanted to cook a “real” dinner every night after work, I used to prep it all the night before, so all I had to do was a quick saute or simmer to get dinner on the table. That worked pretty well for me–I come home hungry from work and I’m not a speedy cook, so if I want to eat dinner before 9:00, I have to prep ahead of time. These days, though, I tend to do a lot of cooking on the weekend and feed off of it for most of the week (casseroles, sturdy salads, pizza, pasta, etc.) And I hardly ever do side dishes–who has the energy? Make some whole wheat pasta with sausage, greens, cheese on the side and you’ve got a full meal. Best of luck to you in figuring out a system that works for you.

And yes, I know this is weird, but I read, “throw an egg on it” and suddenly that silly Beyonce song popped into my head. “If you liked it, then you should have thrown an egg on it . . . .”

The Resident Taste Tester and I had this for breakfast and loved it. Our supermarket is not the greatest, so bacon just had to do. I was happy to find raw bacon bits though, and they made sense because they were not only cheaper but just plain convenient for this hash. We also threw in a couple of Italian sausages, very yummy. Some pepper and a couple of fried eggs and we were set!

This was beyond, just totally beyond delicious! We’ve made many of your recipes before – and loved them all – but this was, for some reason, just to. die. for. Really. Made it for our Mother’s Day brunch (just the three of us), and it couldn’t have been more perfect. Simple, beautiful colors (particularly if you add an egg and get that gorgeous, runny yellow yolk), and really well-balanced.

I’m inspired! Thanks for adding this to our repertoire of breakfast dishes! (Although I agree that this would also be a wonderful weeknight dinner.)

Might I suggest that you add this to the cookbook in progress? (Yes, it’s THAT good.) BTW – dying for the book to come out. Literally waiting with baited breath.

Thanks, as always, for making today more wonderful than it otherwise would have been.

Haha…love the dinner intervention idea. I got my fiance to agree that when we get married (in a little less than 2 months!), I am allowed to make WHATEVER I WANT for dinner 1 night a week. This is quite a feat because he is super picky, with taste practically limited to pizza, french fries, and bacon. I think he’ll love this meal because asparagus is one of the few vegetables he likes.

My boyfriend made this for dinner for my sister and I last night and it was so easy for him to make. It was so delicious and pretty w/ fried eggs on top and he substituted veggie sausage in place of the bacon (us girls are vegetarians). I love it and can’t wait to have it again, thank you!

This recipe looks incredible! Since asparagus is now in season, I have recently been looking for creative ways to use all of my asparagus; this recipe is unlike any of the recipes I have come across! I cannot wait to try it, maybe for dinner tomorrow night! I absolutely love your blog, you have such great recipes and photos!

Made this today for a Mothers’ Day brunch with a few alterations: Bacon instead of Pancetta, 1/2 scallions and half yellow onion, and a few dashes of cayenne pepper for some zing.
I brought it to the party with your Irish Soda Bread Scones (another revision –replaced all raisins with 2:1 raisin/craisin combo)!

Everyone ate them right up –thanks for providing my family with some delicious food!

I love your website! The red velvet has gotten me “in” with my boyfriend’s family. The chocolate chip cookies got me in with his friends. This hash was incredible. It was a project of two friends that took 2 bottles of wine.

I love digging into a recipe that may take a while. Your website provides those, and everything in between. Big fan over here!

I do not even have words for how incredible this recipe looks. I absolutely adore asparagus, and potatoes are one of my staple foods! I can’t get enough of them. And with pancetta and an egg on top?? Amazing! I must try it immediately.

Rachel with the woody stems: Snap the stems where they naturally want to break and then peel from the bottom to the base of the bud. That will get rid of the wood. It will also make them cook faster so keep an eye on them.

Yummy hash btw. I grow asparagus. Lots of it. It is nice to have another go to dish. The egg on top made it. This might be good with chopped broccoli bottoms instead of asparagus if you are cash strapped or asparagus is unavailable.

After a very cold spring we’re FINALLY getting some asparagus poking through here in the UK! I usually just grill it for a few minutes, but I think this recipe looks amazing. I’ll be trying this as soon as the farmers market comes back to town. Gorgeous!

This is very similar to Pytt i panna/hash in the pan. A classic Swedish dish that consists of ham cubed, potatoes cubed and fried in a skillet with onions, spiced with salt and pepper. Also served with a fried egg. You can buy it here already made. It is derived from the need to use leftover meats originally. Pork in particular as it is was most common here.

This is the first dish I’ve cooked from your site, having only recently discovered (and fallen in love!) with it, and it was FANTASTIC! The best brunch dish I’ve made in ages. I omitted the onions (well… forgot them when I went to the store) and it was still flavorful and delicious. I love all your categories for browsing recipes and your photography is gorgeous.

this is one of the best things i’ve eaten in a long time. i made it, slipped a fried egg on top, and paired it with a nice glass of amarone. thats a perk of making it for dinner – no one questions pairing it with wine. lol.

This was delicious but I got it all wrong. My trouble probably began with my cookware: I don’t have a skillet I can cover (really should get one), so I used a large pot (the thin-walled cheap-at-IKEA variety). Then, I over-fried the pancetta, which ended up not hurting the dish very much. But *then* the potatoes, instead of browning properly, stuck to the bottom of the pot, creating a thin brown skin along the bottom that seemed to grow as the potatoes cooked. They never did brown. By the end they were kind of soggy and starting to fall apart — more of a mash than a hash; the wrong texture entirely.

Made this for brunch for four, everyone raved about it, wanting the recipe. Using a fried egg on top made it look so smart! Only problem I saw: there wasn’t enough! :) Will have to make again just for me & hubby so I can get more! Thanks once again Deb!

I made this for dinner last night – it was a hit. My husband and I both love asparagus, and it was nice to have a hearty meal, in one pan, made with this yummy delish veggie. I did sub bacon because it’s what I had on hand, and it was still good. we have a fried egg (or two, or three) on top with some italian bread that was toasted. mmm. bliss. Thanks for this recipe. Quick, easy, and healthy, if you don’t use too much bacon or more than one egg.

My husband is usually the hash cook in the house, but he has been out of town, and I was craving hash. This was my first experience making it, and it was sensational. Thank you for walking the through every step. I have four kids, three of whom claimed they weren’t going to eat “that.” By the time I was done and they saw the delicious meal, everyone wanted a plate. Thanks for a new family favorite!

I am enthralled with pancetta. It’s now my spring version of soup, for who wants soup on a hot day? I did my own version of Spoilage Intervention, and used what I had on hand for this… added bread crumbs, and we all loved it. We topped it with our version of your creamed chard (ours was kale), and it was heavenly.

Have made this a few times now.. we love it! But never have or can find pancetta in my small town.. bacon worked well! I have started frying/cooking my potatoes in the oven, works well. Same thing with bacon- cut in half and throw the whole package in a 9×13 in the oven to cook. No greasy mess to clean up on the stove top! Love your recipes.. and can’t wait to try the asparghaus pizza next!

I made this tonight and swooned! I decided it was worth the hassle of making a separate pan of plain jane no onion hash browns and another of pancakes for the picky eaters and then sat down and ate my delicious hash topped with a dippy fried egg. Mmmmmm……perfection!

oh deb…OH DEB…wow. i made this for dinner (and plan on making it for anyone who walks through my door for breakfast!) and both me and the boy nearly ate it all. such a simple ingredient list and yet the flavors blend SO well. i used bacon because i had it on hand, but i bet pancetta would be awesome!
once again, deb hits it out of the park.

I am very new to eating meat, and I just made this for dinner tonight with a poached egg on top. It was fantastic, and I will be making it again very soon. Thanks so much for your wonderful recipes – my husband thinks I am a great cook because of them!

I am eating the few leftovers for lunch. This is amazing – exactly as written. Bacon would overpower it . . . . .and yukons are perfect too! My daughter gave me a cast iron skillet for Christmas – and I would have to say – it is perfect for this dish – good crusty spuds – tender asparagus, slightly chewy salty pancetta
DIVINE!~

I just made this for dinner last night, but my podunk supermarket doesn’t carry pancetta, so I had to go with some thick-cut bacon instead. I just used less and didn’t think it overpowered. I also threw in some thyme, scallions and a teeny splash of white wine to the pan to cut through the bacon flavor. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Thanks for the idea :)

Tonight I revisited this dish with the most flavor, success, and daring yet. I think you should know, at this point, that you have single-handedly (well, with a small assistant) saved me from the cooking doldrums that inevitably plague a grad student-turned-almost-professional whose only culinary fall-back is a bowl of noodles with some olives and swiss chard. Your site, your style, and your commentary brighten my days and my table. Thank you.

I was looking for something to drag me out of my roasted asparagus rut, and this delivered! I had a ham steak, so I used that instead of pancetta. I also had some red potatoes to use up, so I used those in place of the Yukon golds. My boyfriend added hot sauce to his and loved it. I think I’ll have the leftovers tomorrow with a poached egg.

I made my mom this hash for mother’s day this morning and she loved it! Great spring brunch food. I used diced prosciutto instead of pancetta because it was all my local grocery store had, it worked great I just took the salt back a few notches on the potatoes to counter balance the salty prosciutto.

I would have never thought to put asparagus in hash. I love making bacon-onion-potato hash, and this new twist was on the menu today because I had a bunch of asparagus, a lot of eggs, and a hankering for a substantial breakfast. I actually substituted half the potatoes with turnips, because I had some of those that needed cooking, too. My lawd this is good! I honestly can’t wait to make it again!

Made this tonight topped with sunny side up eggs and some pickled green onions, courtesy of your recent post. It was delightful, I used bacon because I had it on hand, new potatoes, and threw in an entire pound of asparagus. I would recommend salting the asparagus before tossing it in – otherwise the asparagus pieces might be bland, but it you try to salt them once they’re in the dish you might end up over salting. Total hypothetical :)

I love this recipe, I made if for my Mom last year for Mother’s Day and I have been using the format ever since. I cleaned out my fridge with it last week and had an amazing hash with pancetta, three colors of beets, potatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, beet greens and green onions. The single tiny purple beet turned everything varying hues of pink. Topped with an egg, it was as always, the best.

We have been making this almost every weekend since it was first posted (yes, even when asparagus is not in season-I still buy it). WE LOOOVE it. We don’t eat pork, and so that’s omitted, but it’s still just fantastic. Our favorite way is with smoked salmon, goat cheese, and a poached egg. Yummy yummy!

I just had to come tell you that I found this on pinterest and I am currently devouring it! LOOOOVE it! Thanks so much! I never would have put asparagus with these ingredients and I’m so glad I tried it :)

WOW. A friend from my roller derby league suggested this blog as a place to find recipes for a charity bake sale we had coming up, and as soon as I saw some of the photos I knew I’d found a new favorite. Holy cow do you make some delicious food!

This is the first recipe I’ve tried so far (I’ve pinned about 30 that I want to try), and my husband and I are in love. There is so much flavor packed into *every* single bite of this dish! The potatoes were perfectly crispy on the outside and melt in your mouth delicious on the inside. The asparagus was crisp and awesome. So good.

You have a serious fan in me. I’m gonna have to buy that cookbook soon. It’ll make a good Christmas present for my mother-in-law, who’s impossible to buy for. Thanks!

Just made this for Sunday lunch – delicious. Dramatically good. I threw in feta.

I do have a question.. my potatoes got a bit soft before getting real crisp on the outside. They were golden brown but didn’t have a nice dark crust. How do you make sure to get the potatoes brown without turning them to mush in the pan?

Just made this for the first time. Needed a hearty breakfast for some big eatin’ friends of mine and we spent the weekend in a mountain cabin. Figuring on minimal cooking equipment I fudged this recipe by bringing a bag of Trader Joe’s roasted potatoes with seasoning (basically a tiny bag of onions and red peppers) and also a container of Trader Joe’s chopped pancetta. Cooked the pancetta, set aside. Sauteed the asparagus, set aside. Cooked the potatoes on a sheet in the oven as per package instructions(I started these at the same time I started the pancetta). At the last minute, I combined pancetta, asparagus, potatoes, and let them keep warm in the oven while I fried the eggs. This turned out better than a fancy comfort-food diner breakfast!!!

We just got potatoes, eggs and asparagus from our CSA this weekend. Needless to say this became dinner tonight. A wonderful recipe that will be making its way on to our table again. Thank you for another great meal :)

Deb, I appreciate so much that you think to add the note: ‘if you’ve skipped the pork, you’ll want to start with 2 tablespoons oil’. I live in a household of vegetarians, and though of course I could just throw some oil in the pan, I just love the thoughtfulness of you adding the note anyway. Thank you.
I must make this all for myself some day with the pork :)

Oh Dang, I made this and it was so awesome! I tailored it to what I had on hand which meant adding green onions in place of the yellow and omitting the pancetta. Also I tossed in some garlic scapes because why not? Thank you so much for posting this recipe:)

Hi Deb — I love this dish, but less pleasant business brings me here. Have you (or anyone else) noticed that Skinny Taste recently posted what looks like an almost-verbatim version of this recipe without attributing? I left a comment on the Skinny Taste site asking about it, but of course it was deleted, because classy. Just thought you might like to know.

Easy and delicious, and a perfect choice for a sweltering evening. I appreciated how I could do almost all prep in the cooler morning to minimize time in my non-air-conditioned kitchen in the later, hotter hours. My husband and I decided it was too hot to face fried eggs, so went without but then found it was on the “needs something more” side; I could have made devilled eggs ahead. Anyway, we licked it up and look forward to a repeat.

This is a great weeknight meal. It’s easy, filling and requires little prep or clean-up. We swap in kielbasa for the pancetta to make it a little more hearty, and serve it with a fried egg on top. It’s extra great with a few dashes of Cholula to garnish. ;)

I made this for my lunch and it was perfect. I used smoked bacon rather than pancetta, and added a chopped clove of garlic with the onion, and finished it with some chopped fresh herbs (parsley and coriander/cilantro). Really easy and really delicious. I think next time I will try crumbling some feta cheese in at the end.

Oh my goodness a perfect weeknight dinner. Delicious, simple, filling. Plus it seems the sort of meal you could edit by adding different veggies or seasonings in depending on what’s in season/what you’re in the mood for. This is definitely making it into my rotation!

Deb, this was delicious! I used frozen, diced hashbrown potatoes I happened to have in the freezer. I was also lucky to have ramps in the fridge. I cooked those (per your specs) and added them in. Fried up a couple of eggs, toasted up some baguette & enjoyed a perfect Sunday dinner.

I made this for dinner and then company showed up last minute, and they were impressed by the dish (no leftovers)! Simple, yet very delicious. Thank you again for adding another wonderful dish to my rotation :)

This really sparked me because we have so much lovely asparagus out here right now. As you say, it is such a versatile recipe and later this month I’m supposed to get a slab of nice Tasso! The ideas to spin this dish are already multiplying in my head. :)

I can’t find the spring asparagus pancetta hash recipe once I add the chrome extension. Not only is this a problem but why add this extra step? It takes forever and you must click on so many different links. Please bring it back to how it was last week!

Made this tonight, used bacon instead of pancetta because that’s what the pandemic had done to the market. It was DELICIOUS even though I over cooked my fried eggs. Also added the goat cheese. YUM, will definitely add this one to our favorites!